"It was just sort of speeding and a kind of numbness and going from one thing to the next thing to the next thing," Winfrey said, adding: "I thought … if I don't calm down I'm going be in serious trouble.' I was in the middle of doing voiceovers, you know? And I remember closing my eyes in between each page because looking at the page and the words at the same time was too much stimulation for my brain."

As Russell described his very public breakdown, Winfrey says she realized she could relate.

"I was sitting and listening to Jason Russell describe his symptoms …. saying, 'Um, this sounds pretty familiar to me,'" she said.

At the time, Winfrey was struggling to save OWN, her failing TV network. In addition, she was flying across the country to interview celebrities for her show, all while filming her lead role in Lee Daniels' film, "The Butler."

Winfrey told Robinson that it wasn't until her interview for OWN with Black Eyed Peas' singer Fergie, whose father was battling cancer at the time, that she decided to slow down and take better care of herself. That interview aired just days after Oprah's sit-down with Russell.